Search - Schoitz, Schumann :: Sings Schumann Dichterliebe

The most beatifully sung Dichterliebe ever!

ABH457 | New York | 03/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was first loaned this music 20 years ago on an old LP, it held me spellbound and I still find it deeply moving. Do listen to the first poem of Dichterliebe (which means "Love Stories"). It is called "Im wunderschoenen Monat Mai" and continues: "...als alle Knospen sprungen.." It is the ultimate spring song of young love, and it has never been sung more tenderly and meaningfully than by Aksel Schiotz, one of the greatest but, incredibly, barely known tenors of the last century. Dichterliebe continues delighfully with more brief song-poems of love and heartbreak, from a world where there was time for those things. Gerald Moore's piano acompaniment is perfectly matched for Schiotz' tender style.
I have listened to others sing this cycle, and neither Fischer-Dieskau, Fritz Wunderlich, Hans Hotter, nor the more recent Ian Bostridge -- who has a beautiful voice, but who lays the meaning on too thickly in his too perfect German enunciation -- can touch Schiotz.
Schiotz was not only a great tenor, he was, I believe, honored as a Danish hero during WWII for his radio recitals of Danish art songs throughout the war, thus keeping up the national spirit of an occupied people. At least, this what I was told once by a now-99 year old Danish friend in the town of Aarhus.
Aksel Schiotz deserves to be better appreciated. Right now, on Amazon, he deserves to have his name written properly, where the word "Schitz" is used instead of Schiotz, no doubt (I hope) because the Scandinavian 'slash' that runs through the letter 'o' in the name Schiotz was probably not available among the typefaces on the Amazon PC. Aksel Schiotz deserves better. PLEASE!!"